Former British Prime Minister David Cameron said he asked Queen Elizabeth II’s personal secretary for the Queen to influence the outcome of the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum.

It is noted that in September 2014, Cameron visited Balmoral Castle (a private residence of British monarchs in Scotland) when he found out the results of a YouGov sociological survey, according to which most Scots wanted Scotland to leave Britain.

“I remember my conversations with my personal secretary, his conversations with the personal secretary of the queen and my conversations with the personal secretary of the queen. I did not ask for anything that would be in any way inappropriate or unconstitutional, but just a raised eyebrow, you know, even a quarter of an inch, as we thought, could make a difference, “the newspaper quoted Cameron as saying.

It is noteworthy that the then secretary of the British Cabinet Jeremy Heywood and the personal secretary of Queen Christopher Geidt did discuss how Elizabeth II could express her concern about the prospect of voting for Scottish independence while remaining impartial. Cameron’s remark, however, indicates that he wanted the Queen to intervene directly, the newspaper explains. It is noted that he turned to the Queen’s secretary because of a “growing sense of panic” that Scotland would vote for independence.

A week later, the Queen expressed the hope that “people will think very well about their future” when they vote, which was her first public comment on the referendum. Scottish nationalists are expected to criticize Cameron for his recognition, as they believe that those Queen’s words helped many Scots to make a choice.

A referendum on Scottish independence was held in 2014. 55% of its members spoke in favor of maintaining an alliance between Edinburgh and London.